Art hermit: Cornelius Gurlitt lived a solitary existence in a cave-like Munich apartment filled with works by renowned artists that were obtained by his father under questionable circumstances during the Nazi era. (N.Y. Times)

LBJ’s deferred shul visit: In December 1963 President Lyndon Johnson dropped by a Texas synagogue, a visit that had initially been scheduled for the day after President Kennedy was assassinated. (Tablet)

It’s good to be the ex-president: Brandeis University’s former president, Jehuda Reinharz, is one of many college presidents to have negotiated a lavish exit package. (Boston Globe)

A big blow-up: The crisis over Iran “is already one of the biggest U.S.-Israel blowups, ever—and it could get worse before it gets better,” writes Robert Satloff. (Politico)